Amid the growing expectation of increased exposure for women's professional sports, Supercars' first full-time female driver would rather she didn't attract attention because of her gender.
Swiss international Simona de Silvestro has joined the factory backed Nissan team on a three-year deal aimed at establishing her as front-running competitor.
![V8s Supercar driver: Simona de Silvestro.](/web/20170224004054im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/g/0/z/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gug10f.png/1487399005224.jpg)
She can't help stand out as the only woman driver in the 26-car Supercars field, but she doesn't want to be defined, much less rated, by her sex.
A hardened racer who has matched the men in top-level IndyCars open-wheelers in America, de Silvestro is keen to be judged only on her ability against the established V8 drivers as a newcomer.
Her position is – and has been throughout her barrier-breaking career – that once she pulls on her helmet, you can't tell if she's male or female.
Except, of course, that the hype surrounding her move into Supercars – as it was in IndyCars and junior categories on the way up – means she isn't just another rookie.
Nor can it be denied that a big part of de Silvestro's attraction is the very fact that she is a very rare female in a male-dominated – but not officially chauvinistic – sport.
Her appeal is that she is an accomplished racer who has the potential to mix it with the men on equal terms.
Certainly, de Silvestro has the best opportunity of any female to make her mark in an internationally rated car racing series since American Danica Patrick's move from IndyCars (where she was a race-winner) to NASCAR stock cars (where she has struggled for several seasons).
De Silvestro brings multi-million dollar backing over three years from retail giant Harvey Norman – driven by chief executive Katie Page, a proponent of women in sport – to the on-the-rise Nissan team.
She is also backed by Supercars, which initiated her move, brokered her sponsorship and signing with the Kelly Racing-run Nissan factory squad, and is understood to be paying her six-figure annual driving salary.
At the instigation of Supercars chief executive James Warburton, de Silvestro's move from chasing her international open-wheeler ambitions to pursuing a new racing life in Australia is aimed at broadening V8 racing's appeal to women.
It is also a commitment to encouraging young women to aspire to racing and ultimately Supercars, marking the first full-time female driver in Australian touring car champion racing since Christine Gibson 40 years ago.
As well as a proven record as a tough and competitive racer regardless of gender – hence her nickname, "The Iron Maiden" – de Silvestro is personable, articulate and pragmatic, meaning she is eminently promotable.
She arrived in Australia early this month and has begun bonding with the Melbourne-based Nissan Motorsport team, as well as finding a beachside apartment in St Kilda. De Silvestro, 28, reportedly performed impressively in her first test in her Nissan Altima V8 at Winton Motor Raceway, near Benalla, and will further familiarise herself at Tuesday's pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park before her full-time debut in the twin-race season-opening March 4-5 Adelaide 500. "Melbourne is pretty nice," she told Fairfax Media. "There are a lot of things to do. It's been pretty busy with the team.
"We got one test day in and I've been spending a lot of time with the engineers. I can't wait to go testing in Sydney." Her arrival coincided with the start of the AFL women's competition, which she described as "very exciting".
But while she acknowledges that she will be "carrying the flag" for women in motor sport, she is adamant that she is striving to achieve as a driver rather than a female.
"I just have to get in the car and perform," de Silvestro said. "For sure, I'm a woman and people look up to that, but at the end of the day, I have to do the job correctly in the car and if I do that, the results will come and everything will be fine.
"It's not something I really think about. It's just part of it and you try to be a good role model for young kids that anything is possible. I've had good results in the past, but I'm in a brand new environment and it will take a little bit of time to adjust.
"I just have to do the best that I can with the opportunity that I have." De Silvestro contested the past two Bathurst 1000s as a guest driver in the Harvey Norman Supergirls team with aspiring Gold Coaster Renee Gracie, finishing an encouraging 14th last year in a fifth Nissan 'wildcard' entry.
Her solid performance clinched the deal for her to join team owners/drivers Rick and Todd Kelly and race-winner Michael Caruso in this year's Nissan line-up.
She has a three-year deal with the team, and both she and the squad are prepared to be patient.
"I think the first year is going to be quite tough and a lot of work ahead of me," de Silvestro said. "I want to finish this season knowing where I am as a driver and what I'm doing in this car, and then in season two move forward.
"Hopefully, it'll happen even sooner, but that's the goal, to be really fighting at the front next year." Added 2006 V8 champion Rick Kelly: "Like most people, I'm genuinely excited to see how she goes. I think she'll surprise a lot of people. She's a pure-bred racer and already an asset to the team.
"She's fitted in very well, very quickly. She's going to find it difficult at times, there's no doubt about that. That's part of entering a new category, but I'm confident she'll surprise a lot of people." Kelly also asserts that despite the her commercial attractions, running de Silvestro is not just a promotional gambit.
"She's certainly not a publicity stunt," he declared. "That's why we've done a long-term deal. No one expects a newcomer to win the championship in the first year, so we've put in a long-term plan with Simona.
"It's an exciting journey that we're embarking on with her."